Hold me Close
by yukimurapanda2
Summary: Kuroko lets Kise spend the night at his house when his parents are out for the night. Rated M for sex in chapter 2 and physical violence in chapter 3.
1. Chapter 1: Coming Home

Kuroko sighed as he walked hand-in-hand with his golden-haired companion. It had been a long and exhausting practice, and was just glad to be going home. Kise, on the other hand, seemed as happy as could be. He had finally managed to convince Kuroko to let him stay at his house; something his parents (particularly his father) forbade ever since they found out they were dating, but Kise remembered that Kuroko's parents were supposed to be out all night at some sort of party, and rather than having to deal with Kise's whining and pleading, the shorter boy just rolled his blue eyes and said "sure".

Scratching the back of his head the blue-haired had barely opened the door to his home before the model dashed into the living room and practically flung himself onto the couch. "Uwaah, I get to spend the night with Kurokocchi~!" He made himself comfortable by removing his jacket, discarding it on the floor, and flopping over to lie on his stomach, arms draped over the side of the couch and looking up at the shorter boy with big, bright puppy eyes as he walked past him on his way to the kitchen. "Ne, Kurokocchi," he said with a wide smile, eyes following Kuroko intently. "your parents are going to be gone _all_ _night~?_"

"Possibly, yes." Came a plain response. "They never say when they expect to return, but usually they do end up staying out all night."

Kise nearly flung himself across the room out of excitement. All night with Kurokocchi! He could hardly believe his good luck. "Ne ne, Kurokocchi, what are we going to do~? We could watch movies until _really_ late, we could—"

"I am really exhausted after tonight's practice," Kuroko interrupted. "so I was just going to go to bed." He turns and pulls out two glasses, not seeing a rather disappointed pout from his partner. "Would you like anything to drink?" He added quickly, before Kise had time to start protesting ("But Kurokocchiii, that's no fun at all…!"), filling his own glass with cold water.

The model's face brightened instantly, regaining some of his former enthusiasm. "Yes, please! Anything from Kurokocchi~!"

Knowing his preference, the smaller of the two filled the second glass with water and dropping exactly four ice cubes in it. The blond sat up immediately as Kuroko walked back over to the couch and sat down next to him, handing him the ice water. He took it eagerly, scooting closer to Kuroko and resting his head on his shoulder. "Uwah… I'm so happy I finally get to spend the night with you…~" Kise smiled warmly and took a sip of his drink.

The blue-haired's expression remained neutral as he soon finished his own beverage. "Just make sure you don't leave anything out here. My parents don't ever bother me when I'm in my room, so you will be safe there, but if they know you're here…" he was cut off when a hand reached over and turned his face towards the other man, who kissed him lovingly.

"Don't worry," Kise said with a smile, stroking Kuroko's cheek. "I'll be good, I promise!"

The smaller one did not feel particularly reassured; he knew how forgetful he could be. But, just this once, he let himself believe that no problems would arise. Yawning a little, he moved to get up, but was held back by a pair of strong arms, which clung to him dearly. "Kurokocchi…!" whined the blond, tugging him back onto his lap, pouting just a little bit. "Don't get up yet… We have all night! Why can't we just cuddle here like this for a while? Please?"

Sighing, he set down his glass and leaned back against Kise's chest, and the model happily wrapped his arms around him, smiling warmly. "Uwaah, Kurokocchi is so petite~! He fits in my arms so perfectly!"

Kuroko frowned a little; he didn't like it much when he called him "tiny" or "small" like that. He barely noticed himself relaxing in Kise's arms as he mentally admitted how warm and comfortable he was in his arms. He closed his bright blue eyes and shifted so his face was half buried in the blond's chest, snuggling up closer to him.

The taller boy looked down at the other with a content smile before kissing the top of his head lightly and running a hand through his soft, blue hair. "Mm, I could lay like this forever…" he said softly into his ear. He rested his cheek on Kuroko's head, closed his eyes, and the two of them lay together silently for a while. Then the blue-haired boy stirred, rubbing his eyes sleepily and looked up at the model, who had raised his head and was staring back at him affectionately, admiring how adorable he was when he got sleepy. "Kise-kun…? I'm really tired from practice today… I was going to go to bed…"

Kise nodded. "Okay then, let's go to bed~!" They both stood up, the blond waiting patiently for Kuroko to put away the two glasses before he was led into Kuroko's bedroom; a small, simple rom with only a few personal touches, everything neatly organized (apart from the bed itself, which Kuroko never really bothered to make up every morning). This was very different from Kise's own bedroom, which was a lot bigger and messier. Similarly to when they entered the house, the taller boy headed straight for the bed and sprawled out while the other closed the door behind them and joined him a few moments later. "Kise-kun, you're taking up most of the bed." He commented. "I'm going to fall off."

The blond started to pout again, but reluctantly rolled over a bit. "Aww, but you don't need _that_ much room…" Kise complained light-heartedly. "If you're that worried about falling out, you can always lay on top of me!" He got excited over that thought.

"You're always finding excuses to try and get me to cuddle with you," Kuroko replied plainly, slipping under the covers. Kise pulled the blankets over them and embraced his smaller companion with a smile. "And what's wrong with that~? I love cuddling with Kurokocchi!" He leaned in and kissed him deeply.

Blue eyes slipped closed as the kiss was returned. "I know you do." Kise's smile widened and he kissed him again, running his tongue along Kuroko's bottom lip teasingly as he shifted in the bed to lay on top of Kuroko. "You don't talk about anything else."


	2. Chapter 2: Hold me Closer

**Author's commentary:**

**Warning - this has smut in it. If you don't want to read this bit, feel free to skip over it. There aren't really any important plot points in this chapter, so you wouldn't be missing anything crucial.  
**

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Breaking the kiss the blond stared down at the smaller with eyes half-closed, his smile becoming devious as he nibbled his ear. "Uwah, Kurokocchi...so mean~" The normally high-pitched whine was full of low, soft, seductive tones that made the blue-haired shiver and blush, the words echoing in his ear.

Such a reaction only made Kise want to do more. "Oh? You liked that?" he continued to whisper into the other's ear in that same tone, intent on making that pale skin flush a rosy pink. His devious plan was working, much to his satisfaction. He pulled away with a low chuckle, staring down into the icy blue orbs he found so captivating. "You know, you should blush like that for me more often." The model teased, his once innocent grin now morphing into a devilish smirk. "It compliments your eyes."

Kuroko couldn't tell how much he was blushing. There was something about that smile, that look in his amber eyes... it was alluring, almost intoxicating. Hypnotic, too, he supposed, for all of a sudden those same lips were pressed against his own in a deep kiss, a tongue forcing its way in. A pair of hands slipped underneath his shirt and slowly travelled up his sides while their tongues swirled and pressed against each other, and he found himself lacing his fingers through the golden hair, oddly enjoying the contact, wanting more.

Kise pulled away suddenly. But just when the blue-haired was about to protest and beg for more, he latched himself onto the pale, exposed nape, biting hard and lapping with his tongue, much like how a dog laps up water. Once again taken by surprise, Kuroko gasped, tugging on the yellow hair slightly as those hands began toying with his nipples. A tiny moan escaped him; he could feel the smile growing on Kise's lips as they wandered to his collarbone and the hollow of his throat, leaving a trail of light kisses before pulling away once again and sliding Kuroko's shirt over his head with ease. He discarded it on the floor next to the bed. "Ah, Kurokocchi...you make me want to do bad things to you...~" That soft chuckle. _That look in his eyes._ It was almost too much for him to handle. Tugging on his hair again, the smaller pulled the other down into another deep kiss. This time_ he_ was the one to push his tongue in. Those hands. Once again they were on the move, caressing his bare chest and stomach, slowly moving down...

The blond suddenly broke the kiss, panting slightly, his cheeks slightly flushed, his fingers hooked on the waistband of the blue-haired's pants, fighting the urge to just rip them off and finish him off now. "K-Kurokocchi..." Warmth flooded his cheeks.

Blue eyes stared back at...no, _into_ him, the slightest hint of his true emotions reflected in them. They were _pleading._ _Don't stop,_ they said. _More._

Heat surged through his body. Giving into his desires, he swiftly pulled down Kuroko's pants and tossed them carelessly across the room. Noticing the bulge through his boxers only fueled his fire. "Screw it," he muttered under his breath, quickly removing his own clothes and grabbing the blue's boxers, pausing just long enough to utter a warning. "This...might hurt a bit." He yanked them off, sliding one finger into his entrance while the other hand starts to pump his member.

The smaller's breath hitched before uttering a low groan. His breathing became more erratic. His voice begging him to stop but his body pleading him to go on. A second finger enters, scissoring and curling inside; the other hand continuing to stroke, his thumb rubbing and pressing on the tip.

He was getting impatient.

A third finger enters briefly, then removes his hand completely, readjusts his position, and slams in, resulting in a loud, almost painful moan from Kuroko. Kise himself was starting to tremble; he quickened his pace, crashing his lips against the other's roughly. The smaller's pale back was starting to arch, his hangs clung to him desperately. He broke the kiss, panting heavily.

"R...Ryouta...!" came the breathless whimper from the man beneath him. Being called by his first name only turned him on more; he thrust deeper, harder, faster... until they both cried out in ecstasy.


	3. Chapter 3: He Came Home

**Author's Note:  
Chapter Three finally done! I couldn't really think of a better ending, but if you have any ideas on how to conclude this chapter (there's gonna be ONE more chapter after this, I think, MAYBE two), please let me know and I will edit it!**

* * *

Kuroko slowly opened his eyes, a noise from the other room waking him up. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep; only that the last thing he remembered was his blond lover whispering the words "I love you, Tetsuya" into his ear. He turned his head to the side and saw the same man sleeping beside him, his muscular arm draped across Kuroko's bare midsection; the smaller man smiled faintly at how peaceful he looked. He longed to turn over, snuggle with him and go back to sleep, but a second loud noise from the living room demanded his immediate attention. With a small sigh he reluctantly got out of bed, being as silent as possible so as not to disturb the blond, then slipped his pale body into some clothes and stood up to walk toward the door.

"K…Kurokocchi…?" a voice murmured with a yawn. Kuroko turned and saw Kise sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Where are you going…?"

The blue-haired put a finger to his lips. "Shh," he whispered with a hint of urgency. "be quiet." When the blond tilted his head to the side questioningly, he added "I believe my father is home." He stared to turn toward the door again, then paused and glanced back at Kise. "You…you didn't leave anything in the other room, did you?"

The model thought for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "No, I'm pretty sure I didn't…"

Kuroko frowned at the uncertainty in his voice. "I sure hope you didn't… I have to go out and check." He put his hand on the door, ready to open it. He looked directly at the blond, his soft voice sounding slightly commanding. "Whatever happens, stay here." With that, he cracked open the door and slipped through, closing it behind him and leaving Kise alone in the dark.

Kise pouted worriedly at the door after he left. He closed his yellow eyes and yawned again. He had been fairly sure he had brought everything to the room with him, but wasn't he forgetting something…? Shrugging it off as paranoia he laid back down and waited patiently for Kuroko to return.

Five minutes passed, then ten. The blond's worry increased, as well as his paranoia. He tossed and turned in the bed, hoping he would come back soon.

Then he heard a voice that he recognized as Kuroko's father; it was very loud and drunken, so Kise couldn't make out any of his words, but he was obviously angry. The model creased his eyebrows and bit his lip.

Suddenly there was a loud crash and a thud from the other room. Kise shot up in bed, overcome with worry. Hastily clothing himself, he walked to the door and quietly slipped out of the room, breaking Kuroko's orders. The blond's heart pounding against his chest, he made his way apprehensively down the hallway. Biting his lip to prevent any sounds to escape his mouth, he peered around the corner to the living room.

He was horrified by what he saw.

Kuroko was on the floor; the crash he had heard was of him falling on top of the endtable with the lamp with a glass base. Shards of glass were protruding from his arm and spattered with blood. The blue-haired slowly sat up and briefly glanced up at the man towering over him. Kise's golden-colored eyes widened with guilt when he saw his own jacket clutched in Kuroko's other hand. "I would appreciate it if you didn't do that again, father." The smaller boy said plainly, almost as if this had happened many times before.

Kise grinded his teeth. "Kurokocchi!" he called out to his boyfriend, striding over and standing in front of him protectively, glaring at the older man.

Kuroko reached out with his good arm and tugged on the blond's pant leg. "Kise-kun, let me handle this." He pleaded, urging him to step aside.

"No, Kurokocchi." The blond replied firmly, not tearing his gaze agway from the drunkard in front of him. "You've been hurt enough; let me protect you."

The older man grumbled something incomprehensible to Kise, then reached out to grab him by the collar of his shirt. The model blinked and suddenly Kuroko was standing in front of him, arms held out protectively. "Father, no." Yellow eyes widened at the unusually strong (and almost angry?) the voice of the shadow was; there was no hesitation whatsoever. "I love him. He's _not _leaving." Fury flashed in the fathers' eyes, and Kise had just enough time to push the blue-haired out of the way before he was hit with a sudden, strong-fisted punch in his shoulder. Pain shot through him all the way up to his head as he took the blow, staggering backward. _Damn,_ he thought, grinding his teeth. _that's the same shoulder I injured during a game the other day..._

"Kise..!" Kuroko raised his voice at the blond, starting to come over to defend him again. "I don't want to see you get hurt, either!"

Kise held out a hand to stop the blue-haired from coming any closer, tearing his gaze away to look directly at him. "Kurokocchi, I'll be fine." he tried to assure him. "It's _my _fault we're in this mess; let me protect you from this bastard!"

Breaking eye contact with the drunkard was a bad idea. Kuroko's father took that opportunity to launch himself at the model again; the rate of his attacks simulated an angry barfight brawl. Getting hit in his bad shoulder a few more times, Kise managed to regain his concentration and tried to use his copy ability to fight the man; To his dissatisfaction, however, he found his movements hard to predict and that much more difficult to copy. He was able to block the majority of the punches he threw, but he was hit several more times before he was finally able to knock him to the ground.

The blue-haired cried out in pain as his father fell on top of him, crashing to the gound on top of the broken lamp and pressing the shards of glass deeper into his arm. Hearing his son's pain the man reached over with one huge hand and grabbed Kuroko's arm tightly, digging in new glass pieces and squeezing to bury them deep into his arm. With his other arm the pale boy felt around the ground for anything he could use as a weapon. Fingers wrapping around one of the legs of the broken endtable he swung it around and smashed it on his father's head as hard as he could, knocking the man unconscious.

Kise clutched his injured shoulder and knelt beside Kuroko, eeys wide with worry. "Kurokocchi, are you alright?" he bit his lip.

The blue-haired pried his arm free from his father's grasp, wincing as some of the shards slid out of his arm, slicing more of the flesh. "Ah...I'm fine." the smaller man replied quietly and somewhat uncertainly, cradling his arm, which was covered in blood. He took a quick glance at Kise's shoulder. "I'm more worried about you."

"I'm not the one who's bleeding all over the floor," the model said with a frown. "we need to get that glass out." With that, Kise helped him to his feet. Kuroko staggered and almost fell, but the blond quickly threw his arms out to support him, ignoring the throbbing pain in his shoulder. He guided the blue-haired back to his room and sat him down on the edge of the bed; He was getting paler and paler by the minute. "Kurokocchi? Don't...don't pass out on me, okay?" Poorly concealed worry filled his normally cheerful voice.

"Nn...okay..." Kuroko responded weakly, eyes closed in an attempt to block out his light-headedness.

Kise looked down at the shorter boy in concern, moving to hild his arm delicately, carefully inspecting it. "Oh man, look at all this blood..." the blond muttered, mostly to himself. "I need to go get something to clean this up. Wait right here, okay?"

Hearing only a faint moan in reply, the model slowly stood up to fetch a rag from the bathroom when suddenly the smaller boy went limp in his arms. Once again his heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. "K-Kurokocchi...?!" He held Kuroko's pale head up with one hand and eased him onto his back. "Kurokocchi..." he whimpered, staring at him worriedly for a few moments. "I...I need to call for an ambulance...y-yeah that's what I'll do...ahh, Kurokocchi please be okay..." Kise started rambling to himself, getting up anxiously and walking out of the room to dig his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and dialing the emergency number.

Just asKise left the room, Kuroko partially regained consciousness and raised a trembling hand up to hold his head, feeling slightly feverish and light-headed, his breathing slightly shallow. He thought he heard the blond's voice; but it sounded so distant, he couldn't be sure. Was he dreaming? Everything felt so hazy... "Y-yes, please hurry...thank you." His voice seemed a little closer now...the blue-haired felt something hold his other hand lightly.

"K-Kise...?" Kuroko whispered, his own voice barely audible to the blond.

Kise lightly squeezed his hand. "Kurokocchi, can you hear me...? Hold on...the ambulance should be here soon..."

The smaller boy didn't know if he had phased out again or not, but suddenly he felt himself being lifted out of bed and onto a stretcher, the model still holding his hand gently. "Kurokocchi...Kurokocchi..." he heard his name repeated several times, the voice sounding as soothing as possible; Kuroko couldn't make out any other words that might have been spoken. Loud noises resonated in his head painfully as they were both loaded into the ambulance. "Kurokocchi, you'll be alright..." He felt one more light squeeze on his hand before he whited out.


	4. Chapter 4: Hold me Close

**Author's note:**** It's finally. DONE. = A = So thus completes this fic; now it's on to writing a few drabbles, and later another Kikuro fic (one not based on my rp, but I already have a fairly good plot for it, so it should be acceptable ^ ^; and just so you know, I wrote the last 600 words or so when I was half-asleep and delirious, so I apologize if it sounds confusing or awkward in places-my mind was a mess. I'll read it over later once I get a good night's sleep (huh! Like that will ever happen!). Anyway, enjoy the final chapter (I told you it was going to be long!), and I hope you enjoyed the whole fic as well!**

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Everything seemed surreal to Kuroko when his eyes fluttered open. Feeling disoriented, he took in his surroundings; he was in a dimly-lit hospital room, he figured, from the pale walls and the faint beeping from what sounded like an IV. The blue-haired slowly and lazily turned his head to the side when he felt something shift beside him. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It was Kise; the model was still holding his hand and had fallen asleep at his bedside. The blond shifted again and slowly opened his eyes, smiling sweetly when he saw Kuroko staring back at him. "Kurokocchi…" he whispered in a tone that matched his smile. "You're awake."

"So are you." Came an almost immediate reply from the smaller boy. He hadn't intended to be humorous, but Kise chuckled anyway.

"I heard the doctors talking," the blond continued in soothing tones, bringing a hand up to gently stroke Kuroko's hair. "They said you should be fine, but they want to keep you on antibiotics for a few more hours."

"Ah." Kuroko wanted to lean into Kise's touch, but considering how much it was spinning, he thought it best not to move. "How's your shoulder?" the blue-haired asked after a few moments' silence.

Much to Kuroko's disappointment, the model pulled away from him and sat up in his chair, his beautiful smile almost completely disappearing. "It hurts pretty badly, actually," he said, a frown hinted on his perfect face. Looking away he added, mostly to himself, "Your father made it worse, I think."

The smaller boy stared up at Kise, an apologetic look in his sapphire-blue eyes. "We are in a hospital," he told the blond plainly, "you should have the doctors look at it while we're here."

Kise's frown deepened at the suggestion. "Yeah, I _could_," he replied quickly with distaste. "But I don't need to. It's fine; I want to get out of here as soon as possible, anyway."

It was Kuroko's turn to frown. He hated arguing with Kise, and he especially didn't want to do so when he felt like this, but the model was being so stubborn that he really didn't have a choice. "I know you don't like hospitals," the blue-haired replied quietly. "But honestly, Kise, you're being ridiculous. They are here to help you, after all, and it would be better if you had them look at it." After a short pause he added, "It would make me feel better, at least."

He knew Kise couldn't argue with that last statement; Kise's desire to please him was too strong. So when the taller boy glanced back at him with a slightly defeated expression, he knew he had won this little quarrel. "Alright, Kurokocchi." he sighed. "If it'll make you feel better…I'll have them look at it."

The smile pulled more at Kuroko's lips as his face softened. "Good." He turned his head back to stare up at the ceiling, closing his eyes. He almost fell asleep when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. "Kise-kun, what are you doing?" he asked the blond, who was climbing into the bed next to him. "I don't think you're allowed to do that."

"Kurokocchi's sleeping; I want to sleep with Kurokocchi too!" Kise said in that childishly innocent and cheerful tone of his.

Not really having the energy nor the will to go against him at this point, he said nothing and allowed the model to snuggle up close to him, breathing contently when Kise's warm body pressed up against his. Kuroko took a quick peek up at his face and was pleased to see that sweet smile return. Kise always looked so attractive when he smiles like that. The blue-haired allowed a small smile to appear on his own face as they laid there, quietly and contently, for what seemed like hours…until the nurse walked in, hands on her hips.

"That's really frowned upon, you know."

Kuroko's smile was replaced with the slightest hint at a frown when Kise pulled away, almost feeling chilled at the absence of his body heat. The model seemed to be equally as disappointed. "But I wasn't even doing anyt—"

"Kuroko-kun, how are you feeling?" the nurse cut him off as if he wasn't even there and walked over to check the IV levels, speaking in the same firm, unamused tone as when she first walked in.

"Um…better." Kuroko replied quietly, his voice sounding miniscule compared to the nurse's. He tried to ignore the slightly irritated pout on the blond's face. "My head is still spinning, though." Kise sat back down in his chair with a huff like an ignored puppy, moving to hold the blue-haired's hand again.

"Is that so?" the nurse said somewhat disinterestedly, writing something down on her clipboard. "I'll see if I can get you something for that, then." With that, she turned on her heel and strode swiftly out of the room before either male could get in another word.

They turned their eyes to each other. "Well she doesn't seem very nice," the blond commented with another huff, still pouting. "Or very happy."

"She's just having a bad day," Kuroko suggested, though he wasn't one hundred percent sure about it. "I'm sure she has nothing against you personally."

"Well, she wasn't very nice to you, either!" Kise whined, squeezing the shorter boy's hand lightly. "You're her _patient_! She should at least be nice to _you_!"

The blue-haired gently squeezed the model's hand, sighing just a little bit. "She is doing her job, and that is the most important thing. It's not her fault if things just aren't going her way today."

The taller boy puffed out his cheeks childishly, still pouting, as he started to absently twirl a lock of his yellow hair. "Kurokocchi, you're so diplomatic…" he mumbled, once again defeated by Kuroko. There was just no way he could win an argument against him. Somewhat reluctantly he admitted his defeat, and the room became silent. However it didn't take long for Kise to become restless again. He slyly glanced over at the doorway for any sign that the nurse was coming back; grinning that there were none, he proceeded to climb back into the bed with Kuroko, who appeared to be asleep.

"The nurse is going to get mad at you again if you do that." A familiar voice stopped him before he had even lifted up the blankets.

"Uwaah, Kurokocchi! How did you even know what I was doing? I thought you were asleep!" the model wailed dramatically, half startled and half disappointed that he still wasn't able to get away with anything.

Kuroko opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the taller boy with his usual expressionless face. "You are very predictable, Kise-kun. I knew what you were going to do even before you did it."

The blond clutched his chest and acted as if he had been shot in the heart. "Ahhh, so mean! You really didn't have to sound like Akashicchi, either! That's just overkill!"

The smaller boy just blinked at the melodramatic model, his amusement not showing on his face. "It was not my intention to sound like Akashi-kun," he explained quite plainly, "but I could—"

"_No._" Kise protested emphatically, his face suddenly serious with a touch of fear in his honey-colored eyes. "I will have absolutely _none_ of that."

The nurse re-entered the room with a loud sigh just as the blue-haired was about to smile again. With Kise's help he adjusted to more of a sitting position as she handed Kuroko a glass of water and two small pills. "These are for the dizziness," she told him, in a quieter, more even tone than she had previously, "the doctor will be prescribing these to you, as well as some pain killers and additional antibiotics, so be sure to take all of those regularly. The doctor should be in shortly to explain more of that to you." With a bit of a forced smile, she turned to leave the room once again, but stopped at the doorway and turned back to face them. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" Kuroko looked over at the blond.

"Um…yes, actually…" Kise started, dropping his eyes to the ground when the nurse raised an eyebrow at him.

With a sigh, the smaller boy came to his rescue. "His shoulder is in a lot of pain as a result of the same incident," Kuroko told the nurse, "and we were wondering if you could take a look at that as well."

"Hmm," the nurse responded with a bit of a frown, "I guess we could…" She walked back into the room toward Kise. "So…on a scale of one to ten, how bad does it hurt?" she asked as she started inspecting his shoulder, looking for any sort of bruising.

"Uh…about a seven?" the blond answered uncertainly, avoiding eye contact with the nurse and throwing continuous glances over in Kuroko's direction.

Writing some things down in a notepad she had taken out of her pocket, the nurse proceeded to probe his shoulder again, pressing in certain areas and asking him if it hurts more when she does more. The quiet winces from the model were enough of an answer for her; making a few more notes in her notepad, she straightened herself up again. "Alright, wait right here." She told him, and exited the room.

Kise rubbed his shoulder with a soft whimper, like a dog licking his wounds. "Ah, that really hurt," he complained to the blue-haired, who had been watching him intently the whole time. "She pressed down way too hard; it's probably gonna bruise!"

"You're overreacting," Kuroko retorted, though his eyes showed a hint of concern. "You'll be fine; worst case scenario is that you'll have to not play basketball for a while."

The blond just huffed and leaned back in his chair, continuing to rub his shoulder. "Yeah, but still…" he mumbled childishly. They sat in silence for a while, waiting for either the nurse or the doctor to come back, until a thought occurred to Kise. "Say, Kurokocchi…" he said hesitantly, "what are you going to do now…?"

The smaller boy stared back at him, slightly confused. "Do? Well, obviously I will be unable to play basketball until my arm heals…"

"No, that's not what I mean." Sighed the model, hanging his head a little bit. "I mean what are you going to_ do_? You can't really go back to your dad's house, can you?" He stopped and bit his lip, looking away and hoping the answer would be "no".

There was a long pause before Kuroko answered him. "Well, it is my house, as well, so…"

"But I don't want you to go back there!" Kise protested, a little too loudly, but the desperation was obvious in his voice. "You'll just get hurt again..!"

"He doesn't do that all the time though," Kuroko tried to reassure the distressed model. "I'll be fine, trust me." After noticing the unconvinced look on the blond's face he added, "Besides, where would I go?"

Kise's eyes widened the slightest bit and looked away; he hadn't quite thought that far ahead yet. "You could…" he fumbled around for an answer, still adverting his gaze from the blue-haired. When he finally found one, he squeezed his eyes shut and blurted it out. "You could stay with me…!"

The taller boy was expecting an immediate rejection. What a stupid answer; Kurokocchi would never agree to something that ridiculous. But when he was met with only silence, he swallowed hard and tentatively opened one eye to steal a glance at Kuroko, thinking he must actually be mad at him.

Kuroko's face wasn't mad; it was _stunned_. He actually looked at a loss for words. "I…" the blue-haired stammered, "what about…your parents…?"

Warmth surged through Kise's body as he straightened up to look at him straight on, his hope rekindled. "They're out of the country right now," he said with determination, "and they're usually gone for a long time, so we'd really have the house to ourselves!"

The smaller boy looked away, questions buzzing through his head. Live with Kise? For how long? Would his father come looking for him when he didn't come home? What about his belongings? How would he get all of that out of his house? What would happen if Kise's parents came home? Too many things could go wrong. "I…do appreciate your concern, Kise-kun," he started to answer, "but really, I'll be fine—"

Obviously Kise wasn't willing to take no as an answer. The model took Kuroko's hand in both of his and looked deep into his sapphire-blue eyes. "I _can't_ let you go back there," he stated, his tone completely serious. "Not when I know you might get hurt." When the smaller boy didn't respond, he sighed and lowered his head for a few brief moments to gather his thoughts, then went on. "Kurokocchi, you don't have to stay with that bastard if so cruel to you, and I just want to keep you safe. We'll work something out. And I can go with you or something to go get your stuff when he isn't home, and my parents really want to meet you anyway since I talk about you all the time to them, so you really don't have to worry about them, either…" At this point he bit his lip and looked away, realizing he was just rambling on and on trying to convince Kuroko to stay with him, if only for a little while.

The nurse came back into the room before Kuroko had a chance to respond. The blue-haired gave Kise's hand a light squeeze before looking up at the nurse and the doctor, who had entered the room behind the nurse. "Well," the doctor said with a loud sigh, his deep voice resonating throughout the room, "the good news is that once we get a few things cleared up and your prescriptions filled out, you're free to leave."

"And the bad news…?" asked Kuroko, raising an eyebrow the slightest bit.

The doctor wore a small frown. "You said you played basketball, right?" he looked at the smaller boy over the top of his reading glasses. Kuroko nodded, already knowing what he was going to say next. "Well, you probably should have figured this out on your own, but you're not allowed to play again until that arm of yours heals completely. I'll have you follow up with your regular doctor in a couple weeks. Same goes for you." He pointed his pen at Kise and threw him a similar authoritative look. "Your injury, thankfully, isn't as bad—it's just a little bit of muscle damage—but it would be smart for you to just lay off the court until it heals. Now, I'm going to give you a splint to immobilize that shoulder, and you should keep it on at all times and take it off only when you go to bed at night. You should also follow up with your doctor in a couple weeks. As for you, Kuroko, I'm prescribing you some painkillers and two different antibiotics, one of which is a topical cream, so you'll have to have someone change your bandages for you once a day when you put that on. Alright?" When they both nodded, the doctor smiled and turned to leave the room.

"I'll be back shortly with your splint and your replacement bandages, then later with your prescription forms." The nurse added, also with a bit of a smile, before following the doctor out of the room.

Kuroko blinked and stared at the doorway. "I have practice later today…" he said, mostly to himself.

The model's eyes widened. "Ah!" he had a mini panic-attack. "I was supposed to have one today, too! I completely forgot!" He looked at the clock and shuddered, a few tears falling for dramatic effect. "I'm already late…sempai's going to kill me…Kurokocchi, save me!"

"That's impossible. I have my own practice to attend." The smaller boy responded immediately.

"So mean!" Kise sobbed. Then suddenly his expression sobered. "Anyway, Kurokocchi…" he leaned forward and rested his elbow on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hand, not looking directly into Kuroko's eyes. "About what I said earlier…"

He was about to say "forget about it" when he felt a hand gently pat the top of his head. "Kise-kun is a kind person." The blue-haired said calmly, eyes forward.

This response earned a slightly confused pout from the model. "'I'm kind'?" he huffed. "What's that supposed to mean…?"

Kuroko turned his head and looked down at the blond with the faintest smile. "You are very kind for giving me permission to stay at your house, Kise-kun."

Kise just pouted more, sighing and sitting back in his chair. "Kurokocchi, you're still not being straightforward. What are you trying to say?"

The smaller boy blinked, but otherwise his expression was neutral. "I've decided to accept your offer." He said, as if it was obvious.

The blond's heart skipped two beats, his eyes wide enough to pop out of his head. He suddenly became so excited he didn't even know how to think anymore. "K…K-K-Kurokocchi?!" His mouth gaped open and he leaned forward on the edge of his seat, clutching the very edge of the bed. "Eehhh?! You mean you really…? You're really going to stay with me?!" When Kuroko nodded plainly, he tried to resist the urge to just flail out of the room screaming; instead he flung himself at Kuroko, hugging him tightly and rubbing his cheek on Kuroko's head, crying dramatic tears of joy. "Uwaaaah! Kurokocchii, I'm so happy I could just die!"

"Please let go." Kuroko requested calmly, but with a hint of annoyance, threatening physical harm if the blond didn't do as he was told. Kise, of course, was too happy to even register that the smaller boy even spoke, but his mood remained unchanged even when Kuroko sent an Ignite Pass into his stomach with his uninjured arm.

"Uwaah, Kurokocchi I'm so happy…~!" the model rubbed his eyes with one hand while the other clutched his aching stomach.

The blue-haired flexed his hand and glanced over at the door. "Yes I know, you said that already; please stop being so repetitive."

The nurse came back into the room at that point, and Kise did calm down a bit, although he was still trembling with excitement, a childish grin glued to his face. He just stared at Kuroko with big golden puppy-dog eyes as the nurse helped him into his shoulder splint and handed the extra bandages to Kuroko and said "I'll be right back with those prescription slips" before leaving again. The blue-haired looked back over at Kise, whose eyes were positively sparkling. "Kise-kun, please calm down. I know you're happy; I'm happy too. But really I think you're overreacting."

The blond lunged forward to hug him again, but the intense pain in his stomach reminded him of last punishment for doing so, so he latched on to Kuroko's hand instead. "Ah, but Kurokocchi, I'm just so happy! I never thought you'd actually say yes!"

"But I did say yes, so there's nothing to freak out about." The smaller boy responded, completely expressionless. "I agreed to stay with you for at least a few days; that's the important thing, right?"

Kise nodded emphatically. "Yes, it is!" he said with just as much intensity. Kuroko took a moment to admire his eyes. Their color, brightness, and intensity could almost rival the sun; he was truly _happy._ His face—his perfect face—almost seemed to _glow_; he had never seen him this happy. And his smile…it was _infectious_, even for Kuroko. The blue-haired touched his fingers to his lips, suddenly noticing his own smile.

"I'm glad." He heard himself say. "I'm glad that I can make Kise-kun happy."

He was wrong if he thought Kise couldn't possibly get any happier, because at that moment his face lit up even more. He pulled Kuroko into another tight embrace. "You always make me happy, Kurokocchi~"

Kuroko wrapped his arms around the model and smiled visibly, inhaling slowly to take in his familiar scent. He was, perhaps, more in love with Kise than he ever has before.

* * *

Two boys walked out of the hospital together; the taller boy had his hand resting on the small of the other's back, who was carrying a small bag of bandages and three slips of paper.

The blond looked down at the other and smiled warmly. "Let's go home," he said.

The blue-haired looked back at him, then smiled and nodded silently. They laced their fingers together and started down the sidewalk together.


End file.
